Valentine optimistic as pitchers find form

Chiba Lotte Marines pitcher Hiroyuki Kobayashi didn’t come out of Tuesday’s game against the Orix Buffaloes with a win, but he should’ve gained a lot of confidence.

Kobayashi (0-2) gave up three runs in Lotte’s 4-3 loss but struck out seven and walked only two in his best start of the season.

“My pitching felt better,” Kobayashi said after the game. “I feel like I can get better in my next start.”

The strikeouts represented a season-high and the three earned runs were a season low in Kobayashi’s four starts.

It was a welcoming sign for a player in need of some good news.

Kobayashi was brilliant during the 2007 season, going 13-3 with a 2.69 ERA to help lead the Marines within one game of reaching the Japan Series. The veteran pitcher regressed last season, finishing 5-12 with a 5.02 ERA.

This season hasn’t started much better, with Kobayashi giving up 19 earned runs over his first four starts. Against Orix on Tuesday, however, there were flashes of the ’07 model Kobayashi during his six innings on the mound.

“His location,” manager Bobby Valentine said of the reason for Kobayashi’s recent struggles on Wednesday. “Yesterday his location was better, his fastball was down more and he was able to throw aggressive fastballs inside and down. I think that makes all his other pitches better. He’s been up too much with his fastball.”

Chiba Lotte’s starting rotation has been slow out of the gate this season, which has led to a 8-13 record through Wednesday. The Marines have a Japanese baseball-high 4.98 ERA, but nobody in Chiba is pushing the panic button after 21 games.